DVFS Academic Support Continuum (ASC)

On a daily basis, the faculty at DVFS work hard to deliver a rigorous and personalized academic experience using research-based instructional methods and innovative assistive technologies. Their goal is to help your children build the skills needed to become successful adults and lifelong learners. In an effort to enhance our ability to communicate the level of supports our students receive in our college-preparatory program, we have created a system called the Academic Support Continuum. This system is a tool to support teachers and advisors as they have structured conversations with their students, advisees, and parents. It will make explicit the level of support the students receive in their classes and what they need to be successful.

Using the Learning Profile as a guide, teachers will observe students’ strengths and difficulties to identify the appropriate types of supports for each course. A student’s level of support may vary from one class to another and may change throughout the school year. These supports will include accommodations and modifications.

Accommodations are changes in the conditions under which the curriculum, level of performance, or means of assessing are conducted and are generally available to students in college. These include extended time and audio.

Modifications are changes in the curriculum, level of performance, or means of assessing and are generally not provided by a college. These include simplified materials, removal of deadlines, and reduced work output.

Focusing on a student’s needs with regard to executive function, curricular content, and work expectations, students will be placed along the following continuum in each of their courses:

Our ultimate goal is to develop independent learners by reducing their need for supports. This continuum will provide a clear guide for teachers, students and parents as they work with students to help them develop greater independence and self-advocacy.